Job Description

Lead Community Organizer

Are you angry about the injustices your community faces? Do you want to learn how to build the people power necessary to fight those injustices and make real, local change? As a community organizer with Justice Matters, you'll learn how to bring together our area's diverse faith community to address the root causes of serious community problems.

Justice Matters is a constituent-led, grassroots organization that brings together faith communities to address the root causes of serious community problems across Douglas County, KS. Justice Matters is part of the Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART), one of the largest faith-based community organizing networks in the country. We believe that fighting for racial and economic justice is fundamental to our identity as people of faith, and we know that successfully fighting for justice requires having power in the public arena. A few of Justice Matters' victories since its start in 2014 include:

• An affordable housing trust fund which has created 700+ affordable homes.
• The implementation of a strategic plan to end chronic homelessness by 2028, which has led to at least 121 people moving from being unhoused to supportive housing.
• Stopping a jail expansion and creating recommendations for reducing the number of individuals who are jailed.
• The Treatment and Recovery Center, a mental health crisis center which has served over 1,500 unique individuals since opening in 2023.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Building engagement in the community
  • Train grassroots faith leaders how to engage others in the fight for justice & recruit new leaders and congregations into the organization.
• Drive forward campaigns on community problems
  • Train grassroots leaders to identify community problems, conduct research, and develop action plans for issue campaigns.
  • Organize public actions of over 1,000 people.
• Fundraising from local sources
  • Coordinate an annual 6-8 week fundraising drive with grassroots leaders who fundraise from individuals, small businesses, and major corporations in the community.
  • Ensure that dues from member congregations are collected.
• Organizational development & management
  • Work with the organization's Board of Directors to map out the strategic direction and development of the organization.
  • Train, supervise, and evaluate staff.
  • Ensure that the organization's finances are in order. This includes maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring that all foundation proposals and reports are submitted in a timely fashion.

Who You Are

You're excited to direct a nonprofit organization and set the vision for its growth. You have a passion for justice, and are energized by the prospect of uniting people around a common cause. You are naturally curious and value strong relationships. You may or may not be personally religious. Either way, you have a genuine respect for all faith traditions and are excited about uniting faith communities to live out their call to "do justice". Justice Matters is a diverse coalition that includes communities of color, low-to-moderate-income communities and immigrant communities. We strongly encourage people from these backgrounds, as well as fluent Spanish speakers, to apply.

Qualifications:

• Core passion to win on local justice campaigns
• Excellent relationship-building skills
• Enthusiasm for working with diverse faith communities
• At least three years of professional experience in community organizing, advocacy, congregational or non-profit leadership
• Experience leading teams of people
• Possession of a valid driver's license and access to a car
• Ability to travel for training events throughout the year
• This role is based in Lawrence, Kansas. We are currently considering candidates that are based in the area or are willing to relocate for this position.

Why Choose DART

DART invests heavily in training and development of our team members. During your first year, we provide comprehensive professional development through an initial five-day classroom-style training, one-on-one mentoring from experienced DART consultants, and three multi-day trainings with organizers across the country. Ongoing professional development continues through individualized coaching and mentoring, as well as local, regional, and national staff trainings.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $63,000 to $70,000 based on experience. We recognize that highly qualified candidates with more experience may be eligible for a higher salary, and we are open to discussing compensation based on individual qualifications and expertise.

Benefits include:

• Justice Matters makes generous retirement contributions of 10% after one year of employment - no match required.
• Four weeks of paid vacation
• Sick days (10)
• 11 paid holidays
• Healthcare stipend ($750/month)
• Parental leave
• Mileage reimbursement for work-related travel
• Comprehensive, on-the-job training through the DART Organizers Institute and individual consulting

Justice Matters is an equal opportunity employer.

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